Discharging Preterm Infants Home on Caffeine, a Single Center Experience
1
Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso 4800, Alberta Avenue, El Paso, TX 79905, USA
2
El Paso Children’s Hospital, El Paso, TX 79905, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Posthumous.
Children 2020, 7(9), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/children7090114
Received: 22 June 2020
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Revised: 20 August 2020
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Accepted: 24 August 2020
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Published: 28 August 2020
Background: Apnea of prematurity (AOP) affects preterm neonates. AOP, combined with intermittent hypoxemic (IH) events frequently prolongs the length of stay. Caffeine is the preferred medication to treat AOP and may help improve IH events. There is lack of information on the safety of discharging preterm neonates home on caffeine for AOP in the literature. Our objective was to assess safety and benefits, if any, of discharging preterm infants home on caffeine. Methods: After IRB approval, preterm infants discharged home from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on caffeine were compared with those without a discharge prescription for the period of January 2013 to December 2017. Results: A total of 297 infants were started on caffeine, and of those, 87 infants were discharged home on caffeine. There was no difference in length of stay between two groups. Duration of caffeine at home was 31 (28–42) days. The average cost of apnea monitor and caffeine at home per 30 days was USD 1326 and USD 50. There was no difference in number or reasons for emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations between two groups. Conclusion: AOP affects almost all preterm infants and along with intermittent hypoxemic events, and is one of the most common reasons for prolonged hospital stay. Discharging stable preterm infants home on caffeine may be safe, especially in those who are otherwise ready to be discharged and are only awaiting complete resolution of AOP/IH events.
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Keywords:
caffeine; preterm infants; discharge
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MDPI and ACS Style
Ma, C.; Broadbent, D.; Levin, G.; Panda, S.; Sambalingam, D.; Garcia, N.; Ruiz, E.; Singh, A.P. Discharging Preterm Infants Home on Caffeine, a Single Center Experience. Children 2020, 7, 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/children7090114
AMA Style
Ma C, Broadbent D, Levin G, Panda S, Sambalingam D, Garcia N, Ruiz E, Singh AP. Discharging Preterm Infants Home on Caffeine, a Single Center Experience. Children. 2020; 7(9):114. https://doi.org/10.3390/children7090114
Chicago/Turabian StyleMa, Cheng, Denisse Broadbent, Garrett Levin, Sanjeet Panda, Devaraj Sambalingam, Norma Garcia, Edson Ruiz, and Ajay P. Singh. 2020. "Discharging Preterm Infants Home on Caffeine, a Single Center Experience" Children 7, no. 9: 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/children7090114
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